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Can Asset Managers Play A Larger Role In OEM Aftermarket Support?

In early February, the AJW Group signed a long-term agreement with Bombardier to manage all repairs of the OEM’s rotables for its business aircraft, including Learjets, Challengers and Global Express aircraft. The asset manager will source repairs from OEMs and MROs as well as its own AJW Technique shop.

Is this just one-off deal with an OEM that has been undergoing financial stress? Or, as airframe manufacturers play a bigger role in the aftermarket, could this sort of outsourcing of actual repair management go further?

Airframe OEMs have much of the technical data, especially early in the life of an aircraft, to aid smart repair decisions. But Christopher Whiteside, president and CEO of AJW Group, thinks asset managers could help manufacturers. “AJW could very much undertake rotable management for other airframe OEMs, and developing relationships with all of them is a key pillar of our future strategy,” Whiteside explains.

Having worked with Canadian aircraft maker Bombardier, Whiteside says AJW's experience in managing assets and repair means it is able to apply its expertise to any airframe type. Moreover, Whiteside thinks working with asset management specialists would bring a number of advantages to airframe OEMs. It has longstanding relationships with major component OEMs, third-party MRO providers and specialized part stockers, plus its own predictive tools and maintenance capabilities. “AJW has a diverse network through which it can competitively source MRO,” Whiteside adds.